Let me introduce you to one of my all-time favorite lessons: the Organic/Geometric Shape Collage! For years (and I mean many years), this has been my go-to for teaching students about shape vocabulary—especially positive and negative shapes! It’s creative, interactive, and, honestly, a ton of fun for both students and teachers. They look so nice when you display them together in the hallway!
Starting with the Basics: Positive and Negative Shapes
First things first, I put on my “mean art teacher” hat and have students copy down all the vocabulary terms related to shapes. We focus on key concepts like positive shape, negative shape, organic, geometric, figure, ground, closed, and open. Then, we dive into a class discussion about each term to make sure everyone’s on the same page.
But wait—I promise it gets more fun! After our vocab session, I hand out these Shape worksheets where students apply their newfound knowledge of all these new vocab terms. It’s a quick formative assessment to see what stuck. Then, we kick it up a notch with a fun interactive game using Google Slides or PowerPoint to reinforce these ideas even more.
Collage Inspiration from Matisse
To really get their creative juices flowing, we look at the work of Henri Matisse, a master of both organic and geometric shapes. We study a few of his iconic collages, like Panel with Mask, Nuit de Noel, and Polynesia, The Sea. These works are a great example of how Matisse used geometric shapes in the background and layered organic shapes on top. This gets the students excited to create their own Organic/Geometric Shape Collage!
Time to Create: Geometric Backgrounds and Organic Designs
Armed with a stack of old magazines (thanks, local public library and your stash of discarded old National Geographics!) and a sheet of tagboard—usually 9×12″ or 12×12″—students are instructed to fill up the entire page using geometric shapes. I show them how to overlap and cover the background, ensuring no gaps are left. Most students go for long, thin rectangles, while some mix it up with squares and triangles. The possibilities are endless! We glue the magazine cutouts with trusty glue sticks, and voila—geometric backgrounds done!
Now comes the organic part! I give them a (free) thumbnail sketch page and ask them to create at least 6 organic shape designs. The only rule? The shapes must be closed, as they’ll need to cut them out and glue them down later. We briefly talk about design concepts like creating emphasis (a.k.a. the “most important part”) and how to avoid placing it smack-dab in the middle of the composition. After some feedback on their designs, they choose their best thumbnail sketch.
The Grand Finale: Putting It All Together
Once they’ve selected their favorite organic design, I hand out a sheet of white drawing paper the same size as their tagboard. They carefully cut out their organic shapes using scissors and X-Acto blades (if you are brave! Ha!), then glue them down on their geometric backgrounds. The result? Stunning collages that beautifully illustrate the contrast between positive and negative shapes and the relationship between organic and geometric forms.
NEW: Shape Unit Bundle!
And now for the exciting update: I recently added a Shape Unit Bundle to my TpT store! This bundle includes everything you need to teach a full unit on the Element of Art: Shape for middle or high school students. It covers all the key concepts like positive and negative shapes, figure/ground relationships, open/closed shapes, and, of course, organic and geometric shapes.
Here’s what’s included:
- A 39-slide PowerPoint with lesson instructions and video links.
- One complete art lesson on Organic/Geometric Shape Collage with student examples.
- A printable 8.5″x11″ informational handout/poster.
- Two vocabulary worksheets/quizzes.
- One application worksheet and one application quiz.
- An interactive self-checking vocabulary quiz/game in PowerPoint.
This unit usually takes about 3 to 4 ninety-minute class periods for my Art 1 students to complete, and it’s a great way to solidify their understanding of positive and negative shapes through hands-on, creative activities.
If you’d rather have the items sold separately, I also have them listed separate (these are the same products in the Bundle!)
- Informative Poster/Page and 1 Application Style Quiz
- Interactive Shape PowerPoint Game
- Interactive Shape Google Slides Game (same as PPT version!)
- Shape PowerPoint and Organic/Geometric Shape Magazine Collage Art Lesson
